MIDWEST LANGUAGE SERVICES - BLOG
Symbolism of the Parrot
“Linguists who were both translators and advisors for the king are important officials in the Akan royal court.” - object label at Newfields in Indianapolis, Indiana
It was a sunny, late-November afternoon when my husband and I went to the local museum and explored the African gallery at Newfields, formerly known as the Indianapolis Museum of Art. I was captivated by the elaborate masks, intricate bead work, and other artifacts in the gallery. The particular artifact that prompted this post was the gold parrot that I saw.
According to the object cards describing the finial, the parrot was used by the royal Akan people of Ghana.
“Linguists, who serve as both translators and advisors to the king, are important officials in the Akan royal court.”
“Linguists carry staffs with gold-covered sculptural finials like this example.”
“The parrot signifies wisdom, benevolence, and language skills. Symbolism related to verbal prowess is particularly appropriate for objects belonging to these counselors, since they are expected to be masters of spoken arts.”
This parrot and many of the other art objects in the gallery were gifts of Mr. and Mrs. Harrison Eiteljorg in the 20th century.
Celebrating 13 Years in Business!
December 2018 marks Midwest Language Services, LLC's 13th year in business. Originally started as an English tutoring service in 2004, MLS has expanded its services to include translating and interpreting for non-profits, IT, legal, medical, and industrial clients.
Midwest Language Services has grown from having a few individual and corporate clients in south central Indiana to having clients located internationally. Adult students from Brazil, China, Colombia, France, India, Japan, Poland, Mexico, and Turkey have taken lessons in English conversation, grammar, and accent training. Some continue to take lessons with MLS online after returning to their home country.
The staff at Midwest Language Services, LLC looks forward to continued growth in the number of requests for document translations, interpreting services, and TOEIC training and testing. The menu of services in 2018 will expand to include more group language classes and interpreter training workshops, among other services.